The effect of illumination on Vitamin C and total Carotenoid contents of Black Gram ( Vigna Mungo L.) sprouts

Bean sprouts were prepared by soaking and germinating black gram (Vigna mungo L.) in the dark. Soaking and germination was found to increase the vitamin C content of the beans. Increasing the length of days of germination resulted in a drop in the vitamin C content but subsequent exposure to light (30 lux) led to an increase in its value. A stable value of about 37mg/i OOg (fresh weight) was reached after 4 h of illumi nation. The total carotenoid content, on the other hand, decreased dramatically on soaking the black gram. However, the content increased again with germination and exposure to light of dark-grown sprouts caused a surge in the formation of the pigment